Jacob Sullum, New York Post columnist and senior editor of Reason, the libertarian monthly,
and Van Jones, founder and president of Green for All, co-founder of the Ella
Baker Center for Human Rights, and the author of, The Green Collar Economy (Harper One 2008), debate Obama's “ Green Jobs" plan.
Comments [6]
what the idiot conservative does not seem to understand is that this is an investment in out SURVIVAL. he, like most conservatives does not understand that in order for the conomy to work we have to be alive to make it work. even if green is not cost efficient, which it actually is, we need to focus on sustaining ourselves on the planet. i do not understand why conservatives are so resistant to fixing the industrial system that is destroying our ability to live on the earth. it does not matter how much is costs. it is life that we must save.
sounds like our friend sullum here just fell off the turnip truck. spending money is not a problem -- just ask the bankers, airline cos, car cos (libertarians all, btw) who suddenly "need" that 700 billion plus.
I do agree that cap and trade is a joke, another toy.
I respectfully submit that Mr. Sullum is pulling the old libertarian shortsightedness. His conception of measuring the cost of laissez faire climate change versus the cost of preparation for climate change seems to be based on a yearly or quarterly perspective. That's not the timeframe on which climate change works, which is why our free market approach to the environment is directing us towards climactic disaster.
Where are the jobs created by the Regan military build up spending?
Answer Overseas.
why is it all about cost? do we always need to do the cheapest thing? Current energy production has lots of externalities not factored into the cost.
More should be made of these green initiatives. As Mr. Jones has noted, the green collar economy covers so much ground: from green manufacturing to smart infrastructure (think water to mass transit) to efficient/conservative use of energy.
We need everything from a corps of people to retrofit housing and other older building stock to make them energy efficient to new R&D on green tech solutions. Many opportunities for job growth here at home will present themselves. Seriously, let's consider them.
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